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5 tips to enhance social media content

Content marketing continues to be a growing trend for business, and it’s no wonder why. None of the social media platforms on the list below will surprise you. Still, there are some simple ways to get more out of them.

Here are five tips for using the most basic social tools more successfully:

Twitter: We all know the 140-character rule for Twitter, forcing you to make your point in short bursts of text. Most regular users make sure that any links shared are accompanied by an accurate and alluring headline. (Do you?) So, what else?

TIP: Always include any top trending hashtags that are related to your post. It immediately opens you up to many who don't already follow you.

Pinterest: Pinterest is all about beautiful imagery, as that's the main focus when using this platform.

TIP: Don't forget about the text. Including a detailed description of the photo along with relative hashtags will increase searchability. Also, be sure to consider SEO when titling your post.

Facebook: Facebook's “like,” share, and comment functions make it easy to monitor audience engagement. Many people use Facebook on short work breaks, so they don’t want to watch videos, click links to other sites, or read big blocks of text.

TIP: Adding an easy-to-process visual element can drive your message home and further engage your audience. Try eye-catching images, “top 10” type lists, and even memes (images with overlaid text). Posting quick surveys (or even simple questions) is another good way to interact with your fan base.

YouTube: If a picture is worth a thousand words, is a video worth a thousand pictures? Perhaps. Although video has grown as a valuable tool in your content marketing arsenal, the best practice here is to make sure you have an exciting, funny, or otherwise interesting story to tell.

TIP: If you have great content that appeals to a particular audience you seek to reach, it can be argued that length doesn’t really matter. (Note: this does not hold true for excessively long advertising content.)

Blogging: Your company blog is the most flexible content platform at your disposal.

TIP: Break up blocks of texts with images and video. Try posting galleries of multiple photos on a regular basis as well; just don’t go over the top with the number of pictures you include.

Though these tips may seem basic, many are not executed regularly. A quick consideration and implementation of any of these will probably net more engagement and interest by your audience, now and in the future.

Do you have any quick-and-easy tips to share? Have you noticed that some people miss the opportunity to engage their audience? What else can help others improve upon the basics? Do tell.

Chris Lyman manages social media strategy at Lyman PR. A version of this story originally appeared on the agency’s blog.